Catching Up with Alum Andrew Best

Craig has instilled several important and useful skills that I still use to this day. The ability to construct a well-written essay is by far the most important. Being able to organize one’s thoughts and at the same time interest people in your topic has been a crucial part of my post-graduation life. To obtain the Fulbright grant, I had to write a paper on why I should be selected. Without those skills Craig had taught me, I strongly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today. Whatever field you end up going into, you will need to write reports. Since graduating, I have written several reports for my school here in Malaysia and for MACEE. Proving once again how vital this skill is and how Craig has successfully prepared me for the world.

Since arriving in my placement in Bachok, Kelantan I have been able to experience so much. Such as different foods, culture, environment, and sports. Kelantan is known for putting sugar into all their foods, even fish and chicken. Of course, they also have very spicy foods here which have time and time again knocked me and my colleagues out of our seats. The culture is vastly different from the US, the area I am stationed in is highly Muslim and Islamic, so we have to dress accordingly and follow the rules of their culture. Such as no cross-gender touching, and covering certain parts of the body. My first day there, we heard a mans voice over the loudspeaker at a nearby mosque. In areas such as this they have the call to prayer which happens at certain times during the day. Each class is started with a prayer and ends with a prayer. The environment itself is very hot and dry, which still takes some getting used to. Finally sports, SMK Long Yunus is very well known for their athletics. They are huge in Hand Ball, Badminton, and Soccer. I have had the pleasure of being able to help coach their men’s soccer team. I have also been able to join the teacher team and play every Tuesday. This experience so far has been incredible and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.